Gavin's Golden Hill House... All Kinds of Tidbits & Memories

On October 17th, we are playing at Gavin's Second Annual Guinness Festival Weekend... which will have a neat linup of great bands (including us of course), a big heated tent, pints of Guinness, and a great place for you and the family to stay right there a brief walk from the tent...

Andy Cooney, Screaming Orphans, Padraig Allen & the Whole Shabang, Dermot Henry, Kitty Kelly, Frank Jaklitsch, and Jimmy Walsh as MC .... all great friends of ours. Our spot is at 8:30 PM before Andy and his gang go on. Check out the details...

I took an opportunity to poll the rest of the band for their memories of Gavins over the years... and found all kinds of interesting tidbits for you...

• Gavins was the first place in East Durham that Celtic Cross played... way back in 1989 (before I joined the band... original lineup including Kieth Sammut, Mike Clarke, and my good buddy Kevin O'Neill)
• In 1982, Dave Barckow, our drummer, won a first place in one of Gavin's weekly Amateur Hours... playing drums to a tape of the Who song You Better You Better You Bet...
• Prior to that, member of Celtic Cross have won dozens of Amateur Hour trophys in the seventies emmceed by our uncle in the business... Frankie Curran. There are arguments whether the Dineen Brothers or the Vesey Trio won more... maybe Gavin's keeps some statistics...
• Member of Celtic Cross have played in at least 7 different bands at Gavins over the years including Tippling Way, Dennis Gallery & Celtic Flavor, Glen Curtin, Tommy Mulvihill Band, Tommy Flynn & Flash, Richie O'Shea, Michael Sheehan... and I am sure we are forgetting a few.
• Gavin's is one of the darkest bars and lowest ceilings of any room any of us have ever played in... making for pretty good acoustics & music setting... providing you ain't playing that loud.
• Me and my brother sipped hundreds of Shirley Temples with my parents and learned about Irish music watching some of the biggest names in our parent's generation... Paddy Noonan, Noel Kingston, Dermot Henry, Richie O'Shea, Al Logan, Noel Henry, and Frankie Curren & The Evergreens.

So, not sure of the point of this blog other than to get a few other memories about Gavins going in anticipation of a great music event... and maybe get a few of you to book a Fall weekend trip to East Durham to see us and our friends... the luminary list of course topped by Arthur... Arthur E. Guinness...

Comments? Any of your own Gavin's music memories?

Jammin' Reels from Tullamore to McLean Ave!!

I'm just recently back from a whirlwind trip, with my son Kevin, to the Fleadh Cheoil music competition in Tullamore! Our trip started out a bit rocky when we missed our flight and had to come into Shannon instead of Dublin. Kevin wasn't overly thrilled about the 3 hour train ride from Limerick to Dublin, but the 99 (soft vanilla ice cream w/a chocolate flake on the side) seemed to made it all better. We met up with my brother Ken, his wife Brenda, their son Kenny and my parents and we headed for Tullamore.

Its hard to describe the incredible vibe at the Fleadh Cheoil. The competitions take place during the day and in the evenings, the streets are packed with festivities. There are musicians jamming tunes at just about every street corner, bar room and hotel lobby! The international language of Irish music, never ceases to amaze me! A complete stranger can sit into a session, take out their instrument and join in on the tune that the group is belting out! It's amazing to think that so many of the traditional tunes are know world wide.

The competitions are extremely tough, and one youngster is better than the next. We were absolutely thrilled when my nephew Kenny placed 2nd in the under 12 tin whistle competition. He was one of only two American to win at the competition. Sarah Butuex, also from NY, took 2nd place in the fiddle competition. It has often been said that the judges never like to give an American an All-Ireland title, so you have to be that much better to place!

Keeping the Irish traditional music alive here in NY is what it's all about. Like Kenny, Sarah is part of a musical family and no stranger to the stage. Sarah has been performing with a wonderful group of young ladies called Girsa, which means "young girls" in Gaelic. This talented group of musicians hails from Pearl River, NY. Members of Girsa include Sarah Butuex, her sister Lindsay, Maeve and Bernadette Flanagan, Deirdre Brennan, Pamela Geraghty, Emily McShane, Blaithin Loughran, Margaret Dudasik, Kristen McShane and Neidin Loughran.

We are thrilled to be sharing the stage with them, for a very special concert at Rory Dolan's on Saturday, Sept. 26th at 8:00 pm. There will be lots of singing, dancing and Irish tunes jamming, so don't miss what promises to be a great night on McLean Avenue!

Slainte!

September... back to playin great shows

This summer just flew by as I write this on Labor Day. We all took some time to be with family and friends, and vacations. We also have spent time writing for the next Celtic Cross record... may even preview some of the new materal this fall.

Our Fall calendar features a number of great shows around the tri-state area, so mark your calendars. Here are the highlights...

This Saturday, September 12th... we are playing with our friends The Cousins Moran in New City, NY at Doyler & Dunny's Half Way To St. Patrick's Party. The outdoor show kicks off at 3PM in a great big festival tent. Bring out the family for a Sunday evening of fun. We played this show in March and it was a great afternoon...

Saturday, September 19th we head down the shore to Sea Girt, NJ for The Irish Festival at the Jersey Shore for an early day spot at 11:30 AM! Will be an early start for us for sure... but make a day of it with your parents and kids down the shore. Also appearing are Gael Force, Seanchai, The Bogside Rouges, The Bare Knuckle Boxers, Round the House, The Patty Furlong Ceili band, Teresa Kane, and Sean Hennessy(Lead vocal of Blackwater) as festival MC.

And Sunday, September 20th we are at the Great Irish Fair of New York in Coney Island. We don't get down to Brooklyn near enough to see our friends down there. Our appearance is at 2PM. Also appearing on that day are The Canny Brothers, Jameson's Revenge, and The Screaming Orphans. Check out the Saturday bill too featuring Andy Cooney, Mac Talla Mor, and Unforgettable Fire.

Perhaps the highlight of the month is a great show at Rory Dolan's in Yonkers on Saturday, September 26th with the fabulous Girsa... the best new young trad act in the US. Nothing like a Saturday night on Maclean and we can't wait to collaborate on a few numbers with the talented ladies from Girsa.

Finally, back up to East Durham NY for Gavin's Second Annual Guiness Festival on Saturday October 17th. A great lineup of our friends will appear including Frank Jaklitsch, The Kitty Kelly Band, Padrig Allen & The Whole Shabang, Dermot Henry, The Andy Cooney Band and Jimmy Walsh as MC. Make your reservations now to stay up for a great fall day and evening under Gavin's outdoor heated festival tent.

Check the calendar on our website www.celticcross.com for more details and additional shows as they are added. Make sure to follow us on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Looking forward to seeing you all this fall...

P